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Biden’s Gas Gimmick
President Joe Biden today asked Congress to temporarily suspend the federal gas tax, currently 18 cents a gallon, for three months. I understand that lowering gas prices by 18 cents is better than nothing, but this is just Biden’s latest election year gimmick.
It’s not a given that congressional Democrats will support this. Democrats, who control the Virginia state Senate, just rejected a proposal by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to suspend Virginia’s state gas tax.
And many progressives want high gas prices to push people into electric cars. We noted yesterday how Biden again seemingly praised high prices as an opportunity to transition to “green energy.” Never forget that your pain at the pump is part of the left’s plan.
Ultimately, the White House likely sees it as a “win/win” whether it passes or not. If it passes, Biden gets credit for cutting gas prices. If it doesn’t pass, he gets to blame “Republican obstructionists” in Congress and “Big Bad Oil.” You can also expect to see a lot more of these kinds of gimmicks in the weeks ahead.
Why It’s A Gimmick
The last time there was a serious push to suspend the federal gas tax, Barack Obama denounced the idea as a “gimmick.”
Here’s why: If you fill up once a week and have a 15-gallon tank, at $5.00 a gallon, you’re only saving $2.70 per tank. Over the course of three months, that’s $32.40 or about half a tank of gas.
While that’s better than nothing, it’s a drop in the bucket in Biden’s inflationary economy, which is costing Americans at least $460 a month!
Moreover, it has nothing to do with the “root causes” of high energy prices – the radical left-wing policies Biden has pushed which are responsible for this mess.
While the federal 18 cents a gallon tax is the visible tax, Biden’s radical policies could accurately be described as a “hidden tax” that is far greater than 18 cents a gallon.
For example, who do you think understands gas prices better: Career politician Joe Biden or the CEO of Chevron? I guarantee it’s the CEO of Chevron, Michael Wirth.
Wirth wrote a very conciliatory letter to President Biden recently, pushing back against Biden’s demonization of the American energy industry, but also asking to work cooperatively with the administration for the benefit of consumers and our national security.
Biden’s response? He mocked Wirth’s “hurt feelings” and refused to meet with him.
Meanwhile, Biden will soon be in Saudi Arabia on bended knee begging the Saudi crown prince for more oil, after slapping an American oil executive in the face who asked to work together.
Cheap gimmicks and an “America Last” policy is a guaranteed prescription for failure. And you’re paying the price.
Biden’s PR Failure
Biden is desperately pushing this federal gas tax gimmick because his previous attempts to blame high prices on Vladimir Putin – remember “Putin’s price hike”? – have failed miserably.
According to a recent Rasmussen poll, only 11% of voters blame Putin for high energy prices, while 52% blame Joe Biden.
If you can’t convince more than 11% of the public to blame one of America’s enemies for something, that’s a PR failure of epic proportions!
Biden’s Recession
Every day the number of economists predicting a recession increases. If a recession happens, it will be the first “climate change recession.” It won’t be caused by climate change, but by the left’s cure for so-called “climate change.” Here’s what I mean.
Liberal presidents in the United States have been waging war against the oil and gas industry for decades. Europe’s socialist governments have been doing the same.
Left-wing politicians at all levels of government have blocked refineries and pipelines. As a result, they have restricted supply, which is largely to blame for the sickening increase in oil and gas prices.
But higher oil and natural gas prices don’t just impact your pain at the pump or your home heating and cooling costs. Oil derivatives are in your clothes. Anything made of plastic also happens to be a petroleum product.
High gas prices impact the cost of food at your grocery store. Farmers use a lot of fuel, as do the trucks that transport your food and other products to your local store shelves.
All this together is causing the biggest jump in inflation in 40 years. It’s also driving Biden’s support to dangerously low levels.
So, they have given the greenlight to the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates as high as it wants to slow down the economy. Those higher interest rates are already hurting the housing market. They will increase the costs of business investment and job creation. Their goal, literally, is to increase unemployment.
Don’t take my word for it. The New York Times recently conceded, “The government’s plan to fight inflation could cost jobs and restrict wage growth.”
A major reason this is happening is because the entire progressive movement has bought into the idea that the earth is going to burn up in 12 years if we don’t immediately stop using oil and gas.
This is the most insane combination of economic and environmental policies. How’s that “incredible transition” working out for you?
It will have no impact on the politicians pushing it, but you’re going to suffer. You already are. Again, that’s all part of their plan.
Confused Again
During a visit yesterday to a Washington, D.C., vaccination clinic, President Biden seemed not to know who the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is.
He pointed to Dr. Ashish Jha (the White House COVID adviser) and said, “He’s the guy who’s running the CDC these days.” I’m sure that came as a big surprise to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
We’ve seen this before. Biden forgot his secretary of Defense, too. This has nothing to do with partisan politics. It’s deeply disturbing.
I don’t want to see another article by the American media speculating about Vladimir Putin’s health. How about showing some concern about the mental and physical health of the guy who is supposedly running our country!
Election Results
Tuesday’s election results boosted Donald Trump’s overall endorsement record to 133-10.
The big race yesterday was the Alabama Republican Senate runoff between Katie Britt and Rep. Mo Brooks. Britt, who was endorsed by Trump, ran away with the runoff, taking 63% of the vote. Britt faces Dr. Will Boyd in the November general election.
In Georgia, two Trump-endorsed candidates came up short in the runoff races for the Sixth and Tenth Congressional Districts. But the candidates who won, Dr. Rich McCormick and Mike Collins, ran as pro-MAGA, pro-Trump candidates.
In the November general election, McCormick will face businessman Bob Christian and Collins will face Tabitha Johnson-Green, a registered nurse.
In Virginia, Republican primaries yesterday set the stage for two critical House races that will determine the balance of power in Congress next year.
State Sen. Jen Kiggans won the Republican nomination to take on Democrat Rep. Elaine Lauria in the Second Congressional District. This is a tossup seat that has flipped parties in recent elections.
And Yesli Vega captured the GOP nomination in the Seventh Congressional District. Vega is challenging Democrat Rep. Abigail Spanberger in another key tossup seat.